Dan's Pig in a Pit
More of an adventure than a recipe.
Dan and Jackie had a going away party. I got to help with the pig.
What you will need
1 pig, ours was 80 lbs after butchery
2 lbs or so of your favorite pork rub
A ton of aromatics [herbs, citrus, onions, etc]
Butchers twine
4-6 packs of banana leaves or enough to wrap the pig
Roughly 300 sq feet of heavy duty aluminum foil.
Enough burlap to wrap the pig
Chicken wire
Good wire clippers
15 feet of chain strong enough to lift 100 lbs
2 cords or so of firewood
150 lbs of charcoal
How to cook
1
Get yourself a pig. This one weighed about 80 lbs all cleaned up. All of the internals have been removed.
2
Toss it in a garbage bag and stick it in the back of your Accord.
3
Had to park kinda far away. Luckily we found this grocery cart. ;)
4
You'll need a small forest worth of charcoal. We've got about 150 lbs here.
5
Measure your hog so you know how big to make your pit. You should leave less than 12" between the pig and the walls of the pit, and it should be around 4 ft deep.
6
Get to digging.
7
We dug deep into the night.
8
Next morning, lay it out and rub it down with a good spice blend.
9
Stuff the main cavity packed full with herbs, onions, citrus, and anything else that'll give off a nice flavor. Use butchers twine to tie it up tight. Tie the legs in as close to the body as possible.
10
Lay out your banana leaves so they overlap. Place the pig on top and roll it tight like a giant burrito. Then Wrap it in foil. It'll really look like the world's biggest burrito now. Finish by wrapping in burlap.
11
Finally, wrap it in chicken wire and weave a chain through the wire so you can lower the bundle into the pit.
12
Get a big fire started in the pit. Once you've got enough embers to cover the floor, pour in all of your charcoal. Be prepared for an hour of heavy smoke and high potential for angry neighbors. Invite them to come over in about 24 hours.
13
When the smoke dies, you should see some nice hot coals. Stir it up with a shovel and wait until all of your coals are glowing.
14
Get a buddy. One person on each end of the chain, lower your bundle into the pit and start shoveling fast. It's important to cover the pit quick so the bundle doesn't catch on fire too much.
15
Fill up the hole and tamp it down. In about 25 hours, dig it back up and you'll have a whole, beautifully roasted pig. Meat should be falling off the bone. Toss that bad Larry on a table, and invite 50 or so of your closest friends to come pig out.
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